SEN Learning Support Assistant – Primary School | Islington


Company:	senploy
Salary:	£95 to £100 a day
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	LS11 0BU
Job type:	Temporary
Posting date:	1 Oct 2026
Closing date:	29 Oct 2026

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Summary

A child joining an activity they usually avoid. Communicating what they need instead of becoming overwhelmed. Managing a transition more confidently. Completing a piece of work they previously found too difficult.

As a SEN Learning Support Assistant, you'll be there for those moments - providing the consistent, individual support that helps children with additional needs participate more fully in school life.

Refine Education is recruiting for a primary school in Islington looking for someone with the patience, resilience and adaptability to support pupils across EYFS, KS1 and KS2.

Pupils may have a range of additional needs, including:

- Autism (ASC)

- ADHD

- Speech, language and communication needs

- Sensory processing differences

- Physical disabilities

- Social, emotional or behavioural needs

Depending on the pupil, you could work 1:1, with small groups or alongside the wider class, adapting your support according to individual needs.

No two pupils - or school days - are exactly the same.

You could be using visual or sensory resources to make learning more accessible, reinforcing structured routines, helping a pupil regulate when they're becoming overwhelmed, supporting communication or breaking classroom activities into manageable steps.

You'll work closely with teachers and the SENCO and may also support strategies set out within a pupil's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

The aim isn't to do things for the child. It's to give them the right level of support to help them participate, develop confidence and become increasingly independent.

Previous experience is useful, but it doesn't necessarily need to have come from a school.

Experience from care, support work, youth work or supporting children or young people with additional needs can all provide relevant transferable skills.

Training in areas such as Makaton, PECS, TEACCH, Team Teach or autism awareness would be an advantage, but isn't essential to apply. Schools may provide further training depending on the needs of the pupils you'll be supporting.

More importantly, you'll need to be:

- Calm and patient

- Consistent and dependable

- Able to adapt your approach

- Resilient when situations become challenging

- Genuinely interested in inclusive education and SEND

For someone wanting to develop a career within specialist education, this role can give you valuable practical experience in early intervention, communication support, sensory needs, behaviour de-escalation and personalised learning.

With experience, SEND Teaching Assistants can progress into roles including HLTA, specialist school positions and SENCO support, while the experience can also provide a strong foundation for further study in areas such as SEND or educational psychology.

- Have the Right to Work in the UK

- Hold an enhanced child barred list DBS registered on the Update Service, or be willing to apply for one

- Provide two professional references

Experience working within SEND provision or supporting pupils with an EHCP is an advantage, but isn't essential.

If you're looking for a role where your patience, consistency and ability to understand an individual child can genuinely influence their experience of education, apply today to register your interest with Refine Education.

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